You folks ready for some Scorching Ping Pong Girls? Alright, that’s what I like to hear. Our last episode saw the long-awaited commencement of the team’s brutal, no-holds-barred (practice) match against Kururi and her teammates, opening with Hanabi getting thoroughly thrashed by the scorpion-striking Sasorida. Along with that, we were dazzled by such scintillating dramatic highlights as “Koyori got stuck and she can’t get down,” making for an altogether thrilling, might I even say scorching dramatic tableau.
That episode also featured more hints as to where this battle will be going thematically, which isn’t really much of a mystery at this point. Though it has many goofy embellishments that give it a whole lot of personality and charm, Scorching Ping Pong Girls is fundamentally pretty straightforward in its embracing of sports and shonen narrative conventions, and its big thematic points are basically “friendship is good” and “play for the things that bring you joy, not because you feel obligated to win.” Koyori’s relationship with Agari reflects their true, unconditional feelings, and the ways they play off each other make each of them stronger. In contrast, Kururi seems to believe that Zakuro’s friendship is reliant on her continuously offering “friendship fees,” a belief that also plays out through her insecure physical possessiveness of her friend. It’s an obvious conflict, but Scorching Ping Pong Girls isn’t really about themey-wemey stuff – it’s about having a great goddamn time, and its themes are a natural reflection of the joyous, loving relationships at its heart. I’ve been greatly enjoying this thrilling, creative, and very silly sports show, and I’m eager to get into the heart of this (practice) tournament. Let’s get to it!
Episode 8
Aw shit, this episode is called “Doubles.” IT’S TIME
Team moms gonna wreck shit hell yeah
We open with Hokuto already 2-2 in her match against another of the Mozuyama regulars. This isn’t actually a major tournament, so I suppose it makes sense that we’re so quickly moving through Hanabi and Hokuto’s matches – the two of them already received full explications of their fighting style in the show’s initial arc, and a reprise of that where we’re only invested in one side of the table would probably not be all that thrilling
I really do love stories like this, where the guiding principle is always “what will be the most exciting and fun,” but that excitement and fun is built on a clear and thoughtfully laid set of tactical fundamentals. It’s a philosophy embodied by shows like Girls und Panzer, and it’s always fascinating to break down in beat-by-beat narrative terms. The art of looking effortless is a difficult thing
God, this OP is so energetic and confident. This show needs fifty more episodes
Hokuto’s opponent’s name is Yuragi. Zakuro tries to pep her up, but Kururi is lurking in the background
“It was just so adorable how she came at me with all she had.” Yuragi seems to be a popular type – the ostensible “refined lady” who’s actually a total sadist
A girl with light brown pigtails does the glasses-pushing pose, even though she’s not wearing glasses. Sometimes the moment is just right
Agari points out Yuragi hasn’t even broken a sweat yet, which is a mighty power in this sweat-happy production
“She might be forcing Hokuto into those long rallies. Her movements are unorthodox, but they’re highly efficient.” This show’s drama is nearly always built on a sturdy base of genuine tactical theory. Using efficient movements while intentionally drawing your opponent into long rallies, regardless of their outcome, is an effective strategy in ping pong and tennis alike. If you can run out your opponent’s stamina before your own, it doesn’t really matter if you start with a scoring deficit
“In the fourth game, her feet were moving before Hokuto hit the ball.” And if you can control the pace with those rallies, and force your opponent to go chasing after the ball, their returns often become very predictable
We get an interesting computer-interface breakdown that seems to imply Yuragi calculates her actions in a manner pretty similar to Hokuto
And Kiruka admits that Hokuto’s reliability and precision can actually make her predictable – her “robot style” can also be a weakness
“Payback’s a bitch.” Hokuto realizes she’s being read, and varies her shot’s spin. This show’s tactical drama feels so effortlessly clear and coherent
Hokuto loses, but Hanabi immediately rushes over to cheer her up. “Everything is better with your wife” is also a good theme
Oh no, the next opponent has the Tyrant’s Eye! We’re doomed!
“Ping pong with JoJo powers” is such a strong pitch. Bless this show
Ahaha, and it’s actually a blue contact lens that she then pops out. Amazing
This one’s name is Kimiko
Nice use of variable line width for this snack gag’s punchline. Kinda surprised this show doesn’t use these thick lines for impact shots more often – they’re very well-suited to its bombastic style of drama and simplified character art
Kiruka tells everyone to not take things so seriously, but Agari has zero chill
“I’ve never played table tennis with a defeatist attitude. But enjoying ourselves takes priority.” Kiruka has a very healthy approach to the sport, while her taunting of Agari was probably the best way to fire Agari up, too
Munemune and Kiruka have little hand signals they use for doubles, oh my god these two
It seems like there might be something wrong with Kiruka’s leg. We get a shot of Munemune reacting as she stretches to return a shot
Oh right, that must be why Kiruka was out in the first place. She’s got a slight leg brace and everything
In that case, and also given the fact that we’re already down two matches, I get the feeling this match’s conflict will involve Munemune remembering to trust Kiruka, and not assume she’s in worse condition than she is
Chuunibyou girl buys snacks for food obsessed girl. The fundamentals of a healthy relationship
“Munemune has a lethal smash, but she’s off when she’s on defense.” This is a perfectly coherent tactical explanation for the momentum shift, but the opponents’ styles haven’t really been illustrated to such specific effect as to make it feel emotionally impactful. Instead, it’s Agari’s followup thought that carries that weight: “Even so, something’s off with her today.” The show is smartly hanging the actual drama of this doubles match on an emotional conflict – Munemune’s bond with Kiruka. Effectively describing the interplay of four different play styles in order to frame this match in purely tactical terms would be nearly impossible, but as a doubles match, this challenge is uniquely well-suited to conflicts focused on the bond between these two characters
Zakuro is such a kind, supportive leader. Meanwhile, Kururi is still determined to actually murder Koyori
Kimiko imagines herself and her partner as a giant, immovable wall with a little hamster running around in a wheel in front of it. Weird flex, but whatever gets your blood pumping, I guess
Kiruka makes the conflict explicit: “Munemune, you’re worried about my ankle, aren’t you? That’s why you can’t focus on your game”
“If I’m with you, no matter who I’m facing or what shape I’m in, I’ll win.” Just your usual ping pong doubles match marriage proposal, no big deal
“Together, we can make up for what the other lacks.” Oh my god these two
“Are you sure you’re all right?” “Wanna lick and see?” KIRUKA
The animation gets more fluid and frenetic as the match heats up. Some really nice cuts in these last few minutes
And Done
Our heroes secure their first victory! A terrific match for Munemune and Kiruka, one that smartly centered itself on their emotional bond, rather than the tactical back-and-forth of their playstyles. We still did get a fair amount of that incidentally – it was easy to see how each of these pairs complemented each other, with Kiruka setting the opponents off-balance for Munemune to finish with the smash, as their opponents split duties between long reach and fast footwork. But the heart of this match was Munemune remembering to trust her partner, and that was illustrated beautifully. One of Scorching Ping Pong Girls’ greatest strengths is how profoundly, unabashedly in love with each other all these characters are, and Munemune and Kiruka have a uniquely charming relationship that feels more “old married couple” than many actual married couples in anime. Just try not to flirt so hard in front of the kids, you guys.
This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.